Fit Mama Real Foodhttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com
Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:52:47 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.6naturally sweet chocolate avocado puddinghttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/naturally-sweet-chocolate-avocado-pudding/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/naturally-sweet-chocolate-avocado-pudding/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 13:52:47 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19777I love a good sweet treat, but it’s even better when my body is left feeling good after eating it too. I really dislike the highs and lows sugar does to my body so when I can, I try and limit my consumption. This chocolate avocado pudding, which is sweetened naturally with ripe bananas, does the trick! The cocoa powder and banana give it chocolatey goodness, then the avocado makes it silky and creamy. The hardest part is making sure your banana is really ripe AND your avocado is at that perfect ripeness as well. Luckily it all worked out in my house for a fun afternoon treat!

The kids were absolute fans of this too. They both got so messy eating it! Pretty sure I had to give Zoe a bath after she finished up.

Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until everything is combined and your pudding is super silky and creamy.

Chill or serve immediately. Extra can be kept in the fridge.

Have you made avocado pudding before? What are your go to sweet treats?

Heather

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/naturally-sweet-chocolate-avocado-pudding/feed/6broccoli and potato gribichehttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/broccoli-and-potato-gribiche/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/broccoli-and-potato-gribiche/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 04:00:45 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19768Do you ever get stuck in a rut on what to make as a side dish? I know I do. I have a ton of sides I love and make often (roasted veggies, kale chips, kale or green salad, steamed broccoli with cheese sauce, cucumber salad and sauted brussel sprouts with bacon to name a few), but I definitely go through my same rotation often. They’re all simple to throw together and don’t take much thought, plus I know they taste good. If I’m asked to bring a side to a dinner, it’s always tough. Salad is easy because it can be prepped ahead of time and doesn’t require cooking. Warm dishes can be tricky since I normally don’t like to go cook and make a mess in someone’s kitchen as a guest. What to do… what to do?

I’ll tell you.

Make a gribiche salad!

A what?

I was new to gribiche too. According to Melissa (my secret recipe club pick for the month!) gribiche is “an eggy French vinaigrette, apparently friends with mayonnaise, that is made from hardboiled eggs, oil, vinegar, capers, and fresh herbs. It’s divine!”. I have to agree, it is amazing!

The broccoli and potatoes are roasted before being tossed together with the gribiche sauce. They become tender, tasty and taking the time to roast them totally enhances the flavor of the dish. We ate it at room temperature and as leftovers cold the next day. I’d recommend both and know I’ll be making this as a side for the next dinner party we attend. It was awesome.

In a bowl toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinke with sea salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the potatoes evenly on the pan. Repeat the prep with the broccoli. Roast both pans in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The potatoes will begin to crisp but will be soft on the inside and the broccoli be browned at the edges. Remove when finished.

Hard boil the eggs and peel them. The yolks should be pale yellow in the centers, not grey on the outside or else the gribiche sauce will not come together.

To make the gribiche sauce, in a medium bowl mash 1 of the hardboailed egg yolks as fine as possible. While whisking, slowly stream in 1/2 cup olive oil until the liquid is glossy and smooth. Stir in the vinegar, mustard, capers, shallots, remaining hard boiled eggs chopped finely, and 1/4 tsp sea salt. If using herbs add as well.

Place finished potatoes and broccoli in a large bowl. Toss with the gribiche and serve.

Have you had or heard of gribiche before? Do you think you would be a fan of the flavor combo?

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/broccoli-and-potato-gribiche/feed/7how to feed your toothless baby real foodhttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/how-to-feed-your-toothless-baby-real-food/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/how-to-feed-your-toothless-baby-real-food/#commentsSat, 04 Jul 2015 13:20:22 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19754At 16 months I don’t really think of Zoe as a baby anymore. She’s walking, talking, independent and already sharing her opinion (loudly) whenever she gets the chance. She is so full of personality! The only area that’s still baby-like is her mouth. The girl only has one tooth! She had her first tooth (a top one at that) pop through only a few weeks ago. Having no teeth hasn’t held her back on bit though. She’s eaten pretty much everything since she took off with baby led weaning around 7/8 months. Since I get so many comments and interest on how to feed a toothless baby, I wanted to share my tips for how we’ve made it work so well. She is a great eater and loves food. Love is almost an understatement. She’s obsessed. I hope what we’ve done can help some other parents that are nervous about feeding their gum filled babies real food.

At this stage at 16 months I have no real worries about foods that Zoe can eat (except for obvious hard foods like almonds and baby carrots), but it didn’t start like that. I was smart about what I introduced first. I started mostly with soft fruits cut up or whole (banana, pear, peach, kiwi, berries, avocado, etc), steamed/cooked or soft veggies (sweet potato, carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, etc), ground beef, eggs, cheeses and pasta/tortillas/breads with spreads (avocado, nut butters, etc). I wanted to set her up to be successful as she learned how to eat. One thing I didn’t do though was steam and make Zoe her own meal. She got whatever components of the meal I made for everyone and we would eat as a family.

Once eating is established offer even more

I remember the first night Zoe took off eating. She was around 8 months old. We were at the lake cabin and I’d made burgers for dinner. Since we didn’t have her chair to sit in I was holding her as I was eating my burger. At one point she just reached over, pulled my burger in to her mouth and began chowing down on it! It was quite funny and ever since she has taken off with eating. Maybe it was from that night, but a favorite of hers has always been ground beef. She just shovels it into her mouth like it’s going out of style. Around that time when she began eating everything, I made sure to offer other meats that were not an soft and gummable, like steak, chicken or pork. When we’re having a big chunk of meat I just chop it up super tiny to around the size of a pea and she can just eat it that way.

{Hunter’s food in front, Zoe’s food in back}

Continue offering

I know feeding little kids can be discouraging sometimes. They change their mind on what they do and don’t like all the time. You may feel like your kid will only eat a handful of certain foods and it can feel like a major bymmer. My advice is to just continue offering foods and being positive about them. Kids need 7-10 exposures to a food to sometimes learn to like them or even want to try them. That can be a lot of no’s and food being thrown on the ground, but it’s worth the effort. Try to continue offering the foods you want them to eat instead of settling on the ones you know they will like.

Relax and have fun

I know relaxing might not be the easiest thing to do when you are worried about your wee little one choking on a piece of steak, but if you’ve set the foods up at appropriate sizes, allow your kid to take the reign with eating. They learn so much just by doing, and it’s the same with food. It is honestly a ton of fun to watch the kids chow down!

I hope these tips can help at least one person. I hear so much about moms being nervous to feed their toothless kid foods that they are eating and I just want to encourage them to give it a try. If you have the desire to have your kid eating real foods right along with you, then just start it. Kids will eventually catch on to what you are doing if it’s the only option they have. Trust they will learn and have so much fun. I know we do!

Any question about baby led weaning or feeding your little one? I’m all ears!

Heather

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/how-to-feed-your-toothless-baby-real-food/feed/2cream cheese chicken taquitoshttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/cream-cheese-chicken-taquitos/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/cream-cheese-chicken-taquitos/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 12:40:27 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19711Some dinners I definitely make because it’s something I really want to eat, then other times I choose something I know my husband will be thrilled about. I like to wave my nice wifey flag every once in a while. Our tastes are a bit different, but usually there’s a good middle ground I try to find. Well, these cream cheese chicken taquitos definitely hit that middle ground! They were a major hit all around the table.

They were seriously the simplest things to make too. The entire filling is prepped in the standing mixer which makes it come together so quick. Did you know that you can shred chicken in a standing mixer? I saw it on some kitchen hack video and had been waiting to try it out. The video was right, so simple! You just place the cooked chicken in the mixer bowl (I had just boiled it to cook it up), turn it on and after less than a minute it’s shredded. Voila! Then adding the remaining ingredients in with the chicken for a quick mix and the filling is ready. So very simple!

This is a great recipe to get your kid involved in. I love having Hunter help whenever he can and since there are no knives involved, just measuring and letting your mixer do the work, it was easy to get him in the kitchen. We then filled the egg roll wrappers together. I put the chicken mixture in the center, let him dip his finger in the water to wet the edge, then we rolled it up together. It was so much fun.

When they’re all ready to go into the oven the egg roll wrappers get a pre-bake butter bath. Makes them bake up extra crispy! Jacob and I devoured these warm at dinner and since there were so many left over (they are quite filling) we ate them cold for a couple of lunches/snacks throughout the week too. They are awesome cold too. Zoe took the wrapper off and nommed on the filling and Hunter ate most of the wrapper around the filling unless it was extra crispy like how it gets around the edges. Everyone loved them and I hope they are a hit in your house too!

Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients

4 cups cooked chicken (I used a mixture of 2 chicken breasts and 3 very small chicken thighs)

3/4 cup salsa verde

4 ounces cream cheese

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 package egg roll wrappers

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, place the cooked chicken. With the mixing paddle turn to a medium-low speed and run until the chicken is shredded. Alternatively, you can shred the chicken by hand.

Add the cream cheese, salsa verde, cumin, garlic granules, sea salt and pepper. Mix until combined, then add the shredded cheese in and mix again to combine. Chill until needed covered in the fridge or use immediately.

Take an egg roll wrapper and place a 1/3-1/2 cup amount of the filling in the center in a log shape from one edge to the other edge. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water and wipe along one edge of the wrapper. Roll the wrapper up sealing it off with the wet edge. Place edge side down on the prepared sheet.

Brush the prepared taquitos with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes. Flip the taquitos over, brush any remaining button on top and bake for another 10 minutes, until crispy.

Serve with your favorite quacamole and enjoy!

Are you a taquito fan? What kind of meals are a hit with everyone in your house?

I wanted to pop in for a quick minute and share where our garden is at, and also a bit of what we’ve been up to lately. Life has been full of fun and so much beautiful sun. I just love every minute we can get outside. The kids and I have gone strawberry picking a couple times to Philbrook Farms.

They are both always covered in strawberries and always eat their fair share whenever we go. Thankfully the farm says they don’t mind the little ones munching on as many strawberries as they want. I turned our second strawberry picking trip into some amazing strawberry honey jam.

I am loving this pectin my friend told me about. Low sugar jams are my thing and the actual recipe on the box calls for 4 cups of crushed berries to just 1/2 a cup of honey. Perfectly sweet-tart and set just right. I highly recommend it.

Jacob and I spent a day last weekend tackling our attic mess. It was an embarrassing disaster up there. So much of a scary mess we just kept putting it off until we finally could no more. There was 7 years worth of shoving things up there and it wasn’t pretty.

We took about a 1/3 of it to the dump (all that pictured up there), a 1/3 set aside for a garage sale/donating and the other 1/3 was nicely organized into boxes and stored in the actual storage closets in the attic. Now it’s all open space up there.

We’ve been tackling so many spots in our house to really de-clutter and organize. It’s amazing to realize how less really is more. Our spaces look better and it just feels better to have less around. So much of it we didn’t really need anyways. There are so many more spots to tackle but we’re making good progress. I’ve spent a lot of my free kid nap time working on the de-cluttering the past couple weeks.

Now onto the garden tour! This is definitely my best garden yet. Every year keeps getting better.

In the first garden bed I have leeks and onions, spinach that has bolted (I’ll rip out in a few days after I harvest then plant zucchini seeds), tomatillos and carrot seeds planted in that empty spot.

This was my first time trying tomatillos and I’m so happy to see some growing!

Second garden bed: kale (something I grow well!), broccoli, a cucumber plant and 2 tomato plants. Over planted to the max!

Another first is success with broccoli! I have one little broccoli crown I’m so very proud of.

My third box includes 2 tomato plants, a cucumber plant, beans and carrot seeds planted in the empty space (recently I had sugar snap peas there). Again, it’s going to be very full in this one. With only 3 boxes I like to pack them very full.

I also decided to try growing cantaloupe this year. To not take up garden bed space he’s in his own little pot near the garden. Fingers crossed.

Pretty much every evening after dinner the kids and I head outside to water the garden. Hunter loves helping. Zoe and I stay clear of his spray the best we can.

These warm summer like days have been amazing.

What have you planted in your garden? What have been your favorite fruits and veggies as we go into summer?

I cannot wait to have fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, and of course, all the kale I can eat!

This weekend was HOT. Which made adorable rompers a must (see above cuteness). We brought our A/C window unit into the house and have had the fans going non stop to keep the house a bit cooler. When it’s super warm like this (mid 80s-90 is hot here in Washington), I really dislike cooking. The oven and stove act as heater for the house and that the last thing I wanted to do. Last night I was craving a cool refreshing salad and this fatoosh salad hit the spot. It was filled with crisp veggies, pita bread (I skipped toasting it to avoid turning the oven on) and feta, but my favorite flavor in it was the chopped parsley and mint. I need to do that regularly in salads! The kids were both big fans of the pita and ate that first, of course.

The recipe comes from my secret recipe club pick of the month Sarah’s Kitchen! Sarah loves to cook and bake, shop, coupon and craft. Sounds like many things I love as well! Her recipe list is massive, so I zoned in on the category with salads. I knew I wanted to make some sort of salad and loved this pick, as did her husband she says. It’s always a win when the husband is happy with the meal. Mine at all of his salad, plus we served it with some delicious salmon. The perfect summertime meal!

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/fatoosh-salad/feed/8five must haves for a construction themed birthday partyhttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/five-must-haves-for-a-construction-themed-birthday-party/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/five-must-haves-for-a-construction-themed-birthday-party/#commentsTue, 02 Jun 2015 20:54:04 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19703When I was planning Hunter’s construction birthday bash, I kind of went a little pinterest crazy. And by kind of I mean I pinned the heck out of anything construction themed. There are so many awesome ideas out there! I planned, pinned and ultimately decided on what was important to me and would not be overly stressful to prep for Hunter’s party. Here are my five must haves for a construction themed birthday party. The key reason they are on the must have list is because they were totally exciting for Hunter. HE loved them, and that was my goal for the whole party.

I made a double batch of the chocolate zucchini cake and baked up two 9″ round cakes. I followed the instructions HERE (pictures throughout the tutorial) to create the dug out cake. The cake flavors and frosting together were a hit! I will definitely make this combo again. This was without a doubt one of the easier cakes I’ve made. Looking messy was the goal!

Digging/work zone

Supplies

Dirt area (my parents had just prepped a spot for a garden which worked out perfectly!)

Caution tape from amazon (if you need to rope off a section, which we did since half the garden was planted)

Shovels, rakes and construction trucks (used what we already had at home)

Yellow poster paper and black sharpie from the dollar store

Sawhorse

How to

Rope off the area you want for the kids to dig around in. Add trucks, shovels, rakes and all digging supplies. Create your “DIGGING ZONE” sign and attach it to the sawhorse. Let them go crazy and get uber messy!

First aid station

Normally most of my creativity comes from pinterest, but this one I came up with completely by myself! Think of it as a pin the tail on the donkey activity, but less organized and the kids just get to put band aids on the construction worker whenever they’d like.

Have your very artistic husband draw a construction kid on the white poster board. Prep the bandaids so the kids only have to remove the tabs from the sticky part. Place all band aids in the easel tray. Tape the white board onto the easel. Create your “FIRST AID STATION” sign and attach it to the sawhorse.

Place the golf tees in a bowl on the table, along with the wood mallets and the foam blocks. Hammer a few tees into a foam block so the kids know what to do. Create your “HAMMER STATION” sign and attach it to the sawhorse.

Convince local home depot to give you kids aprons they give out at the kid workshops (it may take a lot of pleading but they will eventually conceed). Have mom embroider the names of the kids on the aprons (or write their names with a sharpie). Place a mini construction truck and band aids in the apron pockets. Include a hard hat to complete the look and for safety.

I hope these ideas inspire your next construction themed birthday bash! They were super fun, and relatively simple to do as well.

What would YOUR kiddos favorite activity be at a construction party? Hunter’s was definitely the digging zone. That boy would love to be there every day if he could.

You love being outside, picking up rocks, sticks, flowers, dirt and whatever else you can get your hands on.

I love that I get to see your adventurous side and that you choose nature over TV any day.

You love your sister and call her your best friend. You share with her and care about her so much.

I love that I get to witness your sweet loving heart every day with her.

You love reading by yourself and being read to. You have always loved books. You also love being naked. You’ve always loved that too.

I love that you love learning and how into books you get. Every though you can’t read yet, I can only imagine that there’s a story going on in your head as you flip through the pages in a book.

You love being independent and doing things yourself, even when it is frustrating and tough for you.

I love watching you grow into a little man. You are determined and always want to push yourself.

You love singing and rocking out to music. Air guitar and drum solos are one of your favorites. You are always ready to sing a song.

I love the creativity in your mind and the song in your heart.

You love taking naps in mom and dad’s bed. It’s become a daily ritual.

I love that you feel comforted knowing that you are in our bed. I know you won’t always want to, so for now I’ll take it in. Especially the times I take a little nap with you.

You love to be silly and do things just to make yourself or other people laugh.

I love the joy you bring to our house. Your smile, laugh and love for life is contagious.

You love giving random hugs and snuggling.

I love that you love so greatly. You show and share love every day.

You love soccer and look forward to it every Friday. You have a blast with your team and keep learning new skills.

I love that being active and playing are a couple of your favorites. You are independent and don’t need me in your class and you understand taking directions from someone else.

You love helping in the kitchen. Measuring ingredients, chopping foods and washing dishes.

I love that I can share this with you, from such a young age, and foster respect for real food and knowledge in the kitchen. It’s such a special time for me to share with you.

You love your family. Daddy to wrestle with, mommy to care for you and Zoe to play with. And your new kitty to snuggle.

I love that your world is surrounded by love. I love that you are such a happy boy. I love that you are my boy and every day I feel so lucky to be your mama.

Happy birthday.

I love you Hunter!

Mama

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/on-your-third-birthday-hunter/feed/4Hunter’s construction themed 3rd birthday partyhttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/hunters-construction-themed-3rd-birthday-party/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/hunters-construction-themed-3rd-birthday-party/#commentsMon, 25 May 2015 21:26:56 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19656On Saturday we celebrated Hunter’s 3rd birthday with a construction themed party. It was a blast! The kids had so much fun and Hunter was in heaven pretty much from the minute we arrived, which was a couple hours before the party even started. Here’s a glimpse at our fun day. I’m going to share more about the decor and activities in a separate post. For now, a look at the party!

The party was held at my parent’s house. They have tons of land and a great set up in the back yard. Plus my dad let us use lots of tools and construction type items for decor, major score! I had planned the party for outside and thankfully the rain held off. Once people arrived even more fun and games began.

The favorite spot was definitely the digging zone!

Easiest cake decor ever! Hunter used the excavator to eat his piece and then had another.

It was a super messy and amazingly fun party. It was great having the outside set up and play spots for the kids. The party was totally all about them. While I bathed my dirt covered kids, the clean up crew got to work. My aunt had fun driving my dads tractor, which he had put out as decor as well.

Pretty sure I’ve set high standards for Hunter’s party now. It was totally worth it knowing he enjoyed his birthday as much as he did!

Heather

]]>http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/hunters-construction-themed-3rd-birthday-party/feed/5crockpot maple chile porkhttp://www.fitmamarealfood.com/crockpot-maple-chile-pork/
http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/crockpot-maple-chile-pork/#commentsMon, 11 May 2015 04:00:20 +0000http://www.fitmamarealfood.com/?p=19622After our trip to Aruba I eased myself back into cooking. The first night we picked up a hawaiian pizza from our favorite local pizzeria and I made a simple salad to go along with it. The next night I brought out my crockpot and let it do the work for me. Don’t you just love the crockpot? I sure do.

This recipe comes courtesy of my secret recipe club pick for the month of May. I was assigned Cookaholic Wife, an adorable blog written by Nichole. She shares a big variety of recipes and her menu plans as well. Instead of starting at her recipe index, I skimmed through her posts one by one from most recent to older posts. Nichole was doing the whole30 challenge a couple months back, so tons of those recipes caught my attention. I also noticed a paleo focus, which I love since they also mean a real whole food focused to me. I ended up settled on the crockpot maple chile pork, and I am so glad I picked it. The maple syrup lends a unique sweetness and flavor when combined with the bit of heat from the red pepper flakes. Everyone in the house loved this and could not get enough of it! Thanks so much Nichole!

Place pork in crockpot. Combine all other remaining ingredients, then pour over the pork.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Turn pork every 2-3 hours.

Shred and serve.

I served the pork along with a corn bake and roasted asparagus. The entire meal amazing and I can’t wait to make this pork recipe again! Nichole served her pork with a sweet potato, which I think would be another awesome side. Or maybe a roasted acorn squash…. so many possibilities!